


the light that shrivels a mountain

by astralelegies



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, F/F, Femslash February, Friendship, Some TFA Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-16
Updated: 2016-02-16
Packaged: 2018-05-21 00:39:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6031855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astralelegies/pseuds/astralelegies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a group of First Order soldiers attack the northern wall of D'Qar's palace, knight Jessika Pava must set out on a quest across the country to find Han Solo and bring him home. By her side is Lady Rey, the capable young heiress to the throne, and fellow garrison companions Poe Dameron and Finn. Along the way they encounter truths from the past and present alike as they fight for survival in a dangerous and beautiful world. Title from the poem "Planetarium" by Adrienne Rich.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the light that shrivels a mountain

“They’re coming!”

Snap Wexley burst through the doors of the guardhouse, panting, to some surprise and grumbling about interrupted games of enchanted chess. 

“Who is?” Poe asked calmly, standing from where he’d been going over strategies by the fire. 

Snap gave him a hard look. “Who do you think? The patrol spotted a platoon of First Order soldiers not two miles out from here, they’ll be on us any minute. We have to warn the General.”

“She’s in a meeting with the King at present,” Poe said grimly. “Time is not in our favor today.”

“I’ll go.” Jess Testor leapt to her feet. “The rest of you should mount your defenses.” 

“Are you sure?” Poe asked, regarding her with an unusual seriousness. “They may not take an intrusion lightly.” 

“ _Go._ We don’t have time to argue. And if the King should take offense at the interruption let it be on my head.”

In truth Jess felt somewhat less brave than she let on. Everyone knew King Skywalker to be a benevolent ruler, and the General’s own brother besides, but he still had the power to order her execution if he wanted to. She mounted her horse and made for the palace.

The royal grounds were lodged in the north of D’Qar. These were not simply some gardens for nobles to stroll about in, but a domain in their own right, spreading out around the castle for acres of hills and forests and rivers before reaching the wall that separated them from the surrounding cities. To their north, in turn, was the neighboring kingdom ruled over by the militaristic First Order, their sworn enemy. Of all the guard houses stationed atop the walls in the four cardinal directions, the northernmost was the most important, for it was the primary barrier between the forces of evil that so frequently made strains to vanquish them. 

This particular guard house was home to the Blue Squadron, a garrison of around twenty of General Organa’s best knights, tasked with guarding the border and alerting the rest of the kingdom to incoming danger. Getting stationed there was a high honor. It was also the most dangerous job in the land.

Jess rode with a vengeance. The palace wasn’t far from the walls, but every second lost was one in the enemy’s favor, and if she wasn’t quick enough her friends could die before General Organa had the chance to send in reinforcements. It was a fine system for the nobles, locked away in the center of their enclosure, but for everyone else it meant help was more luxury than guarantee. 

Finn was guarding the gate when she arrived. 

“What is your business of entry?” he called from the bridge. “Also, how’s Poe?”

“No time for that. The First Order is launching an attack.”

His face went ashen, and he stepped aside quickly. “Go. I’ll take care of your horse.”

Jess dismounted and handed him the reins. She tore across the bridge to the front steps, past more guards giving her various sentiments of alarm and confusion, and hefted open the doors to the throne room.

“General Organa, sir!” She saluted, then bowed low to the king. _Please don’t kill me please don’t kill me._ “My apologies for the intrusion, your highness. The northern patrol caught sight of a platoon of First Order fighters headed this way.” 

“On your feet, soldier.” 

Jess straightened up quickly to obey the General’s command. Leia Organa turned to her brother. 

“We will have to continue this discussion another time. Rey, with me.”

It was then that Jess noticed the third person in the room, a girl around her age. Lady Rey, a noblewoman of some relation to the royal family who was next in line for the throne. She was a somewhat recent arrival to the palace, here since her coming of age to study the practicalities of leading a country, and Jess had never set eyes on her before. 

“Thank you for warning us,” Lady Rey told her, and Jess found herself unable to do anything but nod mutely. 

“Are you sure this is wise?” King Skywalker asked the General. “She’s not yet completed her training.”

“I’ll be fine.” Lady Rey grabbed a staff off a hook on the wall. “We need to move quickly.”

“You should accompany us,” the General told Jess. She gulped and nodded again. 

They marched into the barracks of the palace guard. The assembled soldiers snapped to attention at their approach, eyes wary. 

“The palace is under attack,” General Organa said shortly, to some gasps. “Squads ten and three, you’re with me. Squads six and seven move to defensive positions. The rest of you, keep alert. You must be prepared to defend the seat of our kingdom’s government with your lives.”

She turned on her heel, her troops already scrambling to follow her direction. Jess and Lady Rey tagged along after her.

“You need to stay here,” General Organa told the young noblewoman. 

“But I can help!” she protested. “Let me fight, I know the ways.”

“You are not yet ready for the front lines of a battlefield.”

“Aren’t I skilled enough?”

“It is not your skill I am worried about.” The General looked at Jess. “You. How well can you sit a horse?”

“I’m one of the fastest riders in the guard,” she said. “You can take Poe Dameron’s word for it.”

“Good. You will run messages between the camps. Saddle your mount, quickly now.”

They flew through the underbrush together, Jess’s heart thudding in apprehension mixed with a sort of pride at being given a task by the General herself. The feeling soon faded when they reached the wall. 

“He’s here,” General Organa breathed, and Jess didn’t have to look to see who she meant. 

Kylo Ren, in the flesh. 

He was standing in the middle of the chaos, legendary sword of fire drawn, slashing any arrows that came his way. The troops on the ground were holding their own, but they were becoming a ragged bunch, and Jess could see blood staining the snow at their feet.

The General turned to her. “Listen to me. The lives of everyone here may depend on it. You must find Han Solo. Tell him…tell him he needs to come back. Our son has appeared once again.”

“But…Han Solo has been missing for years,” Jess said, “I should stay here. I should fight.”

“Not you too.” The General heaved an exasperated sigh. “Please, this is of the utmost importance. I’m counting on you.”

Jess set her jaw. “Then I’ll do it.”

“Take Rey with you. She could use the experience. You must leave in all haste. I shall anticipate your swift return.”

Lady Rey took the news without blinking an eye, and saddled her horse. 

“I always thought Han Solo was just a legend,” she told Jess as they departed. 

They didn’t speak again until nightfall, when the palace walls were long out of sight in the distance. 

“Where exactly are we going?” Lady Rey asked.

Jess took a map out of her bag and pointed at a section to the east. “They say the last anyone saw of Han Solo was when he set sail on the Millennium Falcon with his first mate Chewbacca, there to travel until the end of time. If we’re going by that account then we should head for ocean territory.” 

Lady Rey nodded. “Seems logical. I wonder why the General chose us for the task.”

“I was there,” said Jess, “and you needed the experience.” 

She declined Lady Rey’s offer to share a bunk, even though in their effort to travel lightly they’d only packed one tent. 

“It’s no inconvenience to me,” the noblewoman insisted. “You’ll catch your death of cold staying out there.”

Jess shook her head vehemently. “I’ll be fine, my lady. I’m alright sleeping outside.”

“But why on _earth_ would you want to?”

“I’m not sure it’s entirely proper for a woman of my stature to share such close quarters with you.”

“Propriety is for less desperate times,” said Lady Rey. 

In the end, she convinced Jess to share the tent, on the strict condition that they were to remain as far apart as possible. 

“Suit yourself.” Lady Rey shrugged and buried herself in her bedroll. 

Jess remained awake on the opposite side of her, painfully aware of the mere inches of fabric between them. If Poe were here he’d make some joke about sleeping with a princess, but the reality of the situation was that Jess was sharing her bed with royalty, albeit under extenuating circumstances, and that was a very dangerous position to be in. 

They packed up early the next morning. _Every day we spend out here costs the life of someone I love_ , Jess reminded herself, and it cut through the grogginess. 

It was while riding through a particularly dense clump of forest that she first began to suspect they weren’t alone. The extra noise was subtle, almost unnoticeable, but she was certain she wasn’t mistaken. Someone was following them. 

“Keep your wits about you, my lady,” she whispered.

Lady Rey frowned. “So you hear it too. What do you think it is?”

“Could be anything. An animal, a spy, a spell. Maybe even the First Order.”

“This far from the border?”

“It’s possible.” Jess drew her sword silently. Lady Rey did the same. 

“There’s no point in hiding anymore,” she called loudly. “We know you’re there.” 

There was a sound like the _thud_ of something hitting the ground, and a muttered curse. Two knights stepped out of the trees. 

“Poe!” Jess cried in surprise mingled with exasperation. “And Finn too? What are you doing here?”

“We came to help,” said Finn. 

“Does General Organa know you’re here?” Jess asked.

“Of course,” Poe told her, not entirely convincingly. “We figured if this mission was so important you could use a couple extra people watching your back.” 

“You should have stayed to fight,” she said, “we can handle ourselves.” 

He looked at her fondly. “I know. But I’m here anyway.” 

“Stubborn idiot.” She shook her head.

“So I take it you know these people,” said Lady Rey.

“Oh, right, introductions. My lady, this is Poe Dameron and Finn, two of the palace garrison’s finest.” 

Poe bowed. “You’re the new heiress, I presume. I work at the northern guard house.”

“And I protect the gates,” Finn said, following suit. 

“A pleasure to make both of your acquaintances.” Lady Rey dipped her head to them. “How was the battle when you left it?” 

“At a temporary standstill,” Poe said. “Minimal casualties on both sides. The First Order troops pulled back to regroup, but I doubt they’ll be gone for long. Their numbers seem to be increasing lately. The General and King Skywalker seem to think war is on the horizon.” 

Jess sheathed her sword. “And Han Solo can help with that.”

“Apparently. He’s Kylo Ren’s father. Perhaps he can convince him to return to the light side.” 

“Why can’t the General do it?”

Poe shrugged. “Who knows. Her plans are always two steps ahead of the rest of us. At any rate, it’s a job that needs to be done as soon as possible.” 

“Then we should be going.” Jess turned to the newcomers. “You should know the drill by now. You can stay if you can keep up. If not, then head back to the walls.”

They nodded solemnly. 

Apart from the unexpected additions to their party, it was a fairly uneventful day’s journey, and before long it was time to pitch the tents once more. 

“Now that Poe and Finn are here I can share with them,” said Jess, “and you’ll have a tent to yourself, my lady.” 

“No way.” Lady Rey folded her arms firmly. “You’re not going to allow me any special privileges. Birth doesn’t matter out here, so you can drop the formalities.”

Jess bowed her head. “Of course, my lady.” 

“And you don’t have to keep calling me that.”

“If you’ll pardon my saying so, my lady, you’re stuck with it.” 

Jess knew that even though in terms of social hierarchy Lady Rey was her superior, she was the one in charge of this mission. But that didn’t make it any easier to let go of years’ worth of training in etiquette and graces. The world of royalty and the one she lived in had always been so distant it seemed hardly possible to bridge the gap now. 

She had to admit, having traveling companions did make parts of the expedition easier. With Finn and Poe’s added presence there were enough people to do a proper watch, and a lighter load for each of them to carry meant faster progress. Even having to pick their way through the forests for cover, she estimated they would reach the first port of ocean territory in less than a week.

Late one night when she’d just started her watch, Jess saw Lady Rey slip quietly out of the tent. 

“You should get your rest, my lady.”

“Can’t sleep,” the noblewoman murmured. 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Lady Rey sighed. “Where are you from, Jess?”

She blinked. “…D’Qar, same as anyone else.” 

“Well I’m not. Or at least, it isn’t where I grew up.” 

Jess took a stick and shifted the dying embers of the fire. In the soft red glow, she could see how far away Lady Rey’s eyes were.

“Where did you grow up?” she asked. 

“Jakku,” Lady Rey said, “the desert land. I spent my whole life as a scavenger at a small outpost, waiting for my family to come back for me. And when they finally did, they plucked me up out of the sands and put me down in a palace, and told me I was descended from royalty. It’s supposed to be every child’s dream.”

“But not yours.”

“I don’t know. Something still seems out of place.”

They sat in silence for a while, watching the firelight grow fainter. At last Jess stood up and stretched.

“You should get your rest, my lady.”

“Can’t sleep. Let me take your watch.”

And by now Jess knew there was no sense in arguing with her, so she climbed inside the tent and wasn’t woken until morning. 

On the sixth day of their journey they began to see a vast blueness on the approaching horizon. 

“Ocean territory,” Lady Rey breathed, “I’ve never seen one before.”

“Me either,” said Finn. 

Poe smiled slightly. “I saw an ocean once, a long time ago, when I was just a kid.”

Jess thought about fishmongers’ cries and bare feet on docks, scanning the surf for valuables with scabby knees and bruised arms while the smugglers unloaded their cargo in a swirl of languages. She gripped her reins tighter. 

“We’ll be there in a matter of hours.” 

“It’ll be good to get food that isn’t rations,” Finn said dreamily. “We haven’t been near a proper city since we left.” 

“The speed and secrecy of this venture are of the utmost importance,” Jess told him. 

“Couldn’t hurt to get some bread that isn’t stale, though.”

She had to agree with him there. “As long as you don’t waste your money.”

He grinned at her. “Me? Never.” 

“I’m proud of you,” Poe told her in an undertone while the others galloped ahead. 

“What for?”

“All of this. You’re leading magnificently.”

“Did you expect any less?”

“Not for a moment.” 

Jess wanted to tell him that this part of leading was easy, the simple matter of making plans and ensuring they were carried out, guiding her companions along their journey. She doubted the decisions would stay so easy for long. She thought about General Organa, leading her troops into battle. _Every time she gives an order, she has to know she is leading people to their deaths, even if D’Qar is ultimately victorious._ Being responsible for someone else’s life—that was the hard part. 

They emerged from the forest onto a dirt road, winding down the slope of a rocky outcropping until it reached the small civilization that had sprung up by the side of the ocean below. Jess turned her horse around so she was facing her companions.

“Listen to me. The ocean territory can be a rough place. The people there are hardened by a lifetime of fighting the water for their land and livelihood, not to mention the smuggling cartels that practically run the towns. It’s important that you follow my lead and don’t act rashly.”

“How do you know so much about these lands?” Lady Rey asked.

Jess began riding forward again. “I grew up here.” 

“I never knew.”

“Most people don’t.” Only Poe and Snap, really, and perhaps the General, because the General knew everything. 

A hush fell over them as they made their descent. Jess could see her companions’ eyes widen as they took in the scene in front of them—houses on stilts or built into the cliff face, sprawling open-air markets, boats bearing flags in the colors of every nation imaginable. And at the edges of it all was the ocean, a vast cerulean expanse stretching as far as they could see in every direction. 

“Welcome to Dandoran,” she said. 

The people they passed regarded them with expressions raging from wariness to outright hostility. Jess felt exposed, sitting atop her horse in full armor, General Organa’s crest displayed clearly across the back of her cape. Knights weren’t always welcome in these parts. 

“We’ll need to sell the horses,” she said in a low voice. “The whole town will know we’re here before long, but it’s best to have as few markers of our outsider status as possible. You’ll want to remove anything with the royal insignia, and keep your valuables close.”

Lady Rey’s brow furrowed. “But we’re all part of the same country.” 

“The government can be a bit…nonexistent…in this territory.” 

“I see.”

“How do you know anyone will buy our horses?” Finn asked. “I mean, if no one keeps them here.”

Jess looked at him. “Food is food.”

“That’s terrible.” 

“We do what we must to survive,” Lady Rey said quietly.

“They may not necessarily be eaten,” Jess told Finn. “Horses fetch a pretty penny from the traders and smugglers coming into port. In any case, I’ll make sure they end up in good hands.”

She dismounted when they came to a small hut lodged between boulders on a shelf of rock. The others did the same. Cautiously she approached the door. 

“Go away,” came a thoroughly disgruntled voice inside. “I’m not receiving any visitors.”

“You might want to receive this one.”

The door was flung open by a stout, scowling woman with a rather ageless quality in that she could easily have been anywhere from sixty to six thousand. 

“Jessika? Jessika Pava, is that you?”

“It’s Jess Testor now,” she muttered, but her words were lost as the woman enveloped her in a bone-crushing embrace. “Good to see you too, Maz.” 

Maz let her go to stare suspiciously at the people behind her. “Who are these scoundrels?”

Jess rolled her eyes. “My traveling companions, Maz. We’re on a mission from the palace.”

“Hmph. A mission from the palace. The only time you come home for a visit in six years is when you’re on some lofty mission from the palace.”

“I _can’t_ visit. I’ve got a job guarding the north wall now. I’m protecting our country.”

“Can’t visit, probably,” Maz agreed, “and won’t, too. I know where we stand.” 

Jess felt her face heat up. “It wasn’t…it’s not you, you know.”

“Mmhm.” Maz gave her a sharp look. “Now, are you going to introduce me to these dubious-looking friends of yours or not?”

Jess turned to her friends apologetically. “Everyone, this is Maz Kanata, my…family, I guess you could say.” 

“Not by blood,” Maz said, “but that never meant much to you.” 

Poe and Finn bowed. Lady Rey gave an uncertain curtsy.

“There’s no need for all that,” Maz dismissed. She turned to Jess. “I presume you’re here because you need something.”

“We’re on a quest to find Han Solo,” Jess told her. “You haven’t heard any rumors, have you?”

“If I haven’t then there’s none to be found.” Maz frowned thoughtfully. “Han Solo…yes, I believe there was something, years ago now. It was not long after he disappeared. Of course, according to popular legend, he took to the seas after his son defected to Snoke. Reverted to his old smuggling ways. No one’s ever been able to prove that, but there was a raid around the same time the news first went out that he was missing. A band of pirates had come in from Corellia, his homeland, big talkers with connections to the Hutt clan. The day of their arrival they began their customary pillaging and burning, but when they awoke the next morning they found their ships gone, their captain dead, and their treasure stolen. It wasn’t hard for the townsfolk to drive them out after that.”

“You think it was him.”

“Who’s to say? But I was there. I can assure you that it did happen. And I’ll tell you this, too: I believe if it was Han Solo who sabotaged those pirates, then it’s probable he went after their source.”

“You mean Corellia?” Lady Rey asked. 

“Most likely.”

“But why would he go back?”

Maz shrugged. “The events that led to the creation of Kylo Ren were a shock for everyone. I imagine he’s hoping to find an answer in whatever he’s been running away from all these years.”

“You speak as if you knew him,” Poe said.

Maz just smiled. 

“Thank you,” Jess told her, “I have another favor to ask, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“That usually means it will be. Go on, say your bit.” 

She agreed to take the horses off their hands, and didn’t pay half-bad either. Jess found a few slices of cake and changes of clothes in the bag with the money. When she tried to protest Maz pretended to have no idea what she was talking about. _How can she be so kind to me when I abandoned her?_ But Jess supposed it was in her nature to be kind, buried under her gruff demeanor and ocean-folk harshness. 

“Thank you,” she said again, more softly this time.

“There’s no need to be thanking me. You’re family, after all. Now take your friends and leave before I throw you out myself.” 

“Who is she?” Lady Rey asked quietly as they continued their journey into town. 

“I’m not entirely sure myself,” Jess confessed. “She was a friend of my father. He claims she hasn’t changed since he was a small boy, and his father swore the same.” 

She was grateful that the noblewoman didn’t ask why they hadn’t gone to visit him as well. 

“We can use this money to restock our provisions and hire a ship,” she told her companions.

Poe looked at her dubiously. “Will they really let us buy one for so little?”

“If you know where to look. And I still have some money the General gave me before I left.”

“Are you sure we can trust that woman’s word?” Finn asked. “About Han Solo traveling back to Corellia?”

“Maz has been in these parts a long time,” said Jess, “what she hasn’t guessed isn’t worth knowing.”

They wove their way through the market, stopping a few times to pick up food and other necessities, until they reached the harbor. Jess caught Poe looking at the array of ships like a child seeing snow for the first time and smiled to herself. Finn and Lady Rey appeared similarly astonished. The harbor was familiar to her, even after all this time, but gazing at it anew through the eyes of her comrades she felt some small excitement stirring inside her. 

“This way,” she said.

She led them through merchants and miscreants alike to the opposite side of the bay. The ships here were rather less grand, but they were also less pricy, and their outward appearances disguised vessels that could be swifter than any of their more refined counterparts. Jess scanned the offerings carefully, then marched up to one of the captains. 

“My companions and I seek safe passage to Corellia.”

He eyed them distrustfully. “And why are you looking to go there?”

“Our business is our own,” Jess said, “but we’ll pay you well for it.”

“How much?”

"Ten thousand."

“Fifteen thousand.”

“Twelve thousand.”

“Do you take me for a fool?” he growled angrily.

“I take you for a cheap swindler, same as any of the other captains here.” Jess held her ground. 

He spat at her feet. “I refuse to be mocked by a dog of the imperium.” 

Lady Rey stepped between them. “Is there a problem here?”

The captain glowered at her. “Your friend is trying to rob me of an honest living.”

“Believe me,” Jess said, “there is little honesty in his line of work.”

He moved to strike her, but before he could get close enough he was sprawled on the ground, Lady Rey’s staff at his throat.

“Don’t even think about it,” she hissed. 

He held his hands up in surrender and she released him. 

“Let’s move on,” she told Jess.

They walked off with Poe and Finn to inspect the remaining ships. Lady Rey pointed at one. “What about that?”

Jess shook her head. “Garbage.”

She was about to proceed to the next one when Finn gave a sharp cry. She spun around to see one of the dockers holding him in a headlock. A half dozen more were gathered behind him, brandishing a motley assortment of pikes and hammers. 

“Damn that captain,” she swore, drawing her sword. “My lady, if Poe and I hold them off, can you make it to the garbage ship?”

Lady Rey nodded and sprinted for the gangway. Jess launched herself at one of their attackers and landed a swift blow on the back of his skull with the butt of her sword. He crumpled to the ground. 

“Who’s next?” 

Poe had his weapon out too and was going head-to-head with the man who had been restraining Finn. The other boy was fighting off two more of their adversaries. Jess took out the men nearest to her in quick succession and raced to help them. 

“We need to get to the ship,” she called.

“Understood.” Poe kicked his opponent in the stomach. Now there were only two of the attackers left. 

Jess had known men like these before, in what seemed like a lifetime ago, dock workers who moonlighted as hired thugs for anyone who would pay. They were feared by the less fortunate among the townsfolk for their brute strength and ruthless nature, but they lack real training, and that was where Jess and the others had the advantage.

On her signal Poe and Finn approached the men from opposite ends, leading them slowly towards the gangway of the ship. Lady Rey had hoisted the sails and was now waiting to cast off. They just needed to get a little bit closer…there. 

As the knights took their battle to the steps, Jess darted in with blows of her own, distracting both of the opponents. 

“Run for the deck!”

“What about you?” Poe called. 

“I’ll be fine. _Go_.”

He and Finn did as she said. Jess was only a few feet from the top now, fighting both men. “Now, my lady.”

“But—

“Do it.”

Lady Rey hoisted the anchor. The boat began to creep slowly into the harbor. At the last second Jess jumped, landing squarely on the upper deck and into Lady Rey’s waiting arms. 

“Um…” she blushed.

“Right.” Lady Rey dropped her quickly, crossing to take the helm. “That was close.”

“We made it, though.”

“Off to Corellia it is.” 

Poe and Lady Rey took turns steering, while Jess navigated and Finn kept lookout. None of them had ever been to Corellia before, and Jess didn’t know how long it would take them. She was glad she’d remembered to bring her best map and compass. She hoped they would arrive soon. 

It was odd, because Poe was supposed to be D’Qar’s best at maneuvering anything, be it a beast or a boat, but when Lady Rey was at the helm the whole world seemed to grow stiller just to watch. On their third day at sea there was a storm so vicious lighting tore apart the sky and it appeared to bleed, but Lady Rey only grit her teeth and stood staunchly at the bow, sailing across the choppy waters without an ounce of speed lost. 

Jess asked her about it one night, another in the series of evenings in which she was on watch and the young heir joined her, ostensibly to look at the stars or enjoy some quiet contemplation, but in reality always something more than that.

“How is it you can manage the ship so well when you’ve never even seen an ocean before?”

Lady Rey’s lip quirked up into a half smile. “Are you saying I’m not supposed to be a capable seafarer?”

Jess grinned back. “According to the laws of the known universe, no.”

“There’s no simple explanation for it, I guess. Luke—or, King Skywalker, I should say—told me that we’re descended from the followers of an ancient religion, people who used some kind of sorcery to manipulate the flow of power in the universe around them. I’m still learning how to control that power.”

“It all seems so fantastic,” Jess said.

Lady Rey nodded. “And unbelievable, probably. I didn’t, at first. But you wanted an answer.”

“And I will take you at your word.”

They stared up at the stars together. Even so far from the palace, Jess could still recognize a few familiar constellations. It was reassuring, somehow, knowing firsthand they shared the same sky.

“Tell me about your homeland.”

“Hm?” Lady Rey looked at her curiously.

“I’ve never left D’Qar before,” said Jess. “I want to know what it’s like.”

“Different than this.” Lady Rey laughed quietly. “As different from this as anything could be. The sun scorches the sand so that it burns your feet when you walk on it, even in shoes, and there’s almost no water aboveground. The people rely on local magi chanting ancient spells to draw it up to the surface, though imports reach ordinary citizens on occasion. Riots over drinking rights are common, and so is petty thievery. It is a cruel land, with strong, resilient inhabitants.” 

“And you?”

“I am as well, I suppose.”

“I think you’re very strong.”

Their faces were very close. Lady Rey reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind Jess’s ear. She looked as if she was about to say something when the cabin door opened and Finn stumbled out.

“Here to take over my wa—oh.” He backed up a few paces. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

Lady Rey turned away. “Nothing, no.” 

After that, she didn’t interrupt Jess’s watch again. The knight found herself missing the intrusions. 

It wasn’t long before they were docked in the harbor of Coronet City, Corellia’s most populated area. Now that they’d actually reached the kingdom, they weren’t quite sure what to do. None of them had passports, which meant they’d be jailed if they were picked up wandering around the town. And then there was the matter of finding Han Solo amidst all these people.

“I wish that Maz Kanata had given us a more specific idea of where he might’ve gone,” Finn grumbled. 

He was the one on watch when Han Solo stole his ship back. 

“I found him,” he announced proudly to the others’ confused stares the next morning.

“He found you, more like,” Poe mumbled. 

They were already a league away from Corellia. Chewbacca was keeping watch from the crow’s nest, and Han Solo was at the wheel. 

“Are you coming back?” Finn asked him.

“I’m retaking my ship,” he said.

Lady Rey approached him cautiously. “The people need you.”

“They don’t.”

Jess gave him a hard stare. “Your son is going to destroy us all.”

He didn’t say anything after that, but she noticed he’d set their course for D’Qar. At Lady Rey’s insistence the two of them became copilots. She seemed to be the best at getting him to talk. Late one night he told them the tale of how the Millenium Falcon had been snatched from under him by a band of the very same pirates he’d chased off in Dandoran, how he and Chewie had been hopping ships ever since searching vainly for their own. 

“That’s why I ended up in Corellia,” he explained. “It’s the biggest shipyard this side of the globe.”

Jess didn’t doubt it, but she thought he was similar to Lady Rey in that he wasn’t divulging the full story.

When they got back to port he greeted Maz like an old friend, and made her promise to keep the ship safe for him in his absence.

“I knew they knew each other,” Poe said. 

There weren’t enough tents for all of them, but Han stated flatly that he would sleep outside with Chewie and no one dared argue. Jess awoke one morning to find Lady Rey curled around her, one arm thrown over her waist. She closed her eyes and lay still as the grave, trying not to disturb her sleep and trying not to enjoy it. 

“Do you think our friends are dead by now?” she asked when the other girl was awake.

Lady Rey stroked a tentative hand across her cheek. “Not if we refuse to give up on them.”

It was flawed logic, but Jess wanted to believe her. Two days later they reached the palace. 

General Organa didn’t so much as blink when her husband walked into the throne room. She didn’t rush to embrace him, like Poe and Lady Rey had thought she would, or slap him the way Finn and Jess had expected. She just stared at him for several minutes, a swirl of conflicting emotions flickering across her face. 

“You came back,” she said.

“I should never have left,” he replied. 

“Of course not.” She smiled, a little sadly. “But one of us had to go, and I had an army to command.” 

“In another universe, I would have left too,” King Skywalker said. He was looking at them both very seriously and intently. “In another universe perhaps I did. Sometimes it seems like all the men in this family are good for is running away.”

“Don’t go lumping me in with your damn crazy family,” said Han, but Jess thought he was smiling. 

General Organa turned to Poe and Finn. “I should be angry with you for leaving unannounced, but you’ve helped return my dearest friend and ally.”

“Excluding your brother,” Luke mumbled. 

“Excluding my brother. And for that I am grateful.”

“How is the battle going?” Lady Rey asked. 

The General’s expression darkened. “Your timing is fortuitous. A few days ago Kylo Ren returned from the lair of his leader with more soldiers, and there’s been fighting along the whole northern and eastern sections of the wall. They intend to wipe us out.”

“We can’t let that happen,” Han asserted grimly. 

“That’s right.” General Organa offered him her hand, and he took it. She regarded the others. “It was not my intention to ask you for aid on the field so soon after you’ve returned.”

“We can fight,” Poe told her. He looked at Finn. “You staying here?”

“And let you save the day all by yourself? No way.”

They exited the throne room together. Lady Rey grabbed Jess’s arm on the palace steps, pulling her back while the rest of the party marched on. 

“What is it?”

“A favor.” Lady Rey produced a scarf from the pocket of her smock. “For you. To bring you luck.”

Jess felt her cheeks heat up when the noblewoman wrapped it around her neck and planted a quick kiss on her forehead. 

“Was that for luck as well?”

“Hush.” Lady Rey was blushing now too. “To battle, then?”

Jess nodded and took her hand. “To battle.”


End file.
